WWE Sign Distribution Deal

For a certain generation of wrestling fan, Silvervision is a name which holds significant weight and brings many memories flooding back. As the official distributor of WWE video for over 20 years in the UK, it was sad news to hear the company would be parting ways with the wrestling giants at the end of this year, only then selling WWE merchandise until stocks run out.

Hints of cracks in the relationship between Silvervision and WWE had been on display earlier this year, with the former delaying their release of Wrestlemania XXVIII – WWE's biggest DVD of the year. Eventually going on sale, this isolated incident didn't seem to harm sales of the DVD, which shipped over 189,000 copies worldwide in just a few months. With the Silvervision contract coming to an end, there had been widespread speculation on who would take up distribution of WWE DVD's in the UK from the beginning of the new year.

FremantleMedia (FME) announced yesterday that they had signed an agreement with WWE to distribute the promotion's catalogue of media throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company have licensed international rights for shows such as The X Factor, hold the rights to all shows produced under Grundy Television (responsible for such programs as Neighbours) and it seems FME will effectively pick up where the popular Silvervision left off.

“WWE is an incredibly strong and ever-growing brand with a huge and extremely dedicated global fan base. The brand has a rich history and has performed exceptionally well on DVD for many years. We look forward to working with WWE to grow all aspects of their home entertainment catalogue and are particularly excited about introducing the content to the masses across EMEA via digital platforms”, Pete Kalhan, the Senior Vice President of Home Entertainment for FME commented.

You can visit the official FremantleMedia website at www.fremantlemedia.com. Follow on Twitter @FremantleSD. Please also use the hashtag #FSM.